Bait holder with bait cutter

ABSTRACT

A bait holder includes a multi-purpose lid that has a sliding portion operable to both cut and enclose bait within a bait container.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/278,716 (entitled Bait Container with Bait Cutter, filed Jan. 14,2016) which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Bait is used in fishing as a means to entice fish to bite into a hookand become set on the hook. Many times, the bait is larger than desiredand may be cut to an appropriate size. Commercial bait cutters mayinclude a steel housing and adjustable blades to cut large amounts ofbait to different selectable lengths. Such commercial bait cuttersutilize hydraulic motors and may weight over 20 kgs.

When worms are used as bait, knives or even fingernails may be used tocut the worms to a desired size. The worms are removed from baitcontainers and cut. The unused portion of the worm may be thrown away,or returned to the bait container.

SUMMARY

A bait holder includes a multi-purpose lid that operates to both cut andenclose bait within a bait container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bait holder with a containerand a lid for cutting bait according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a bait holder with analternative lid for cutting bait according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an alternative bait container lid having anopening for providing access to and cutting bait in the containeraccording to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bait container lid of FIG. 3according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the bait container lid of FIG. 3 according toan example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a bait container lid insert that rotates withinthe bait container lid of FIG. 3 according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bait container lid insert of FIG. 6according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the bait container lid insert of FIG. 6according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration specific embodiments which may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical andelectrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. The following description of example embodiments is,therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bait holder 100 including abait container 105 with a lid 110 for cutting bait according to anexample embodiment. In one embodiment, bait container 105 is formed as acylindrical container having a reinforced lip 115. Walls of thecylindrical container may be sloped inward from the lip 115 in someembodiments, enabling easy stacking of multiple containers 105 and aneasier grip for a user. The container 105 may be formed of Styrofoam orplastic in various embodiments. While the container 105 is shown ascylindrical or partial cone shaped, it may also have a different shape,such as generally square or rectangular with rounded corners and a crosssection that decreases similarly to the partial cone shaped containershown. Similarly, containers and lids may have a polygonal shape with atleast three sides, which need not be equal in length.

Lid 110 in one embodiment has a lip 120 formed to mate with the lip 115of the container 105. The lid 110 may also be formed of Styrofoam orplastic as desired. Lid 110 has a generally rectangular shaped insert125 with a lateral sliding portion 130 that slides across an opening 135to cut bait that is partially inserted into the opening 135. The lid maybe coupled to the container 105 during a sliding and cutting operation.The sliding portion may be formed of plastic that is thin enough to cutthe bait, but thick enough to provide adequate structural integrity. Theoperation of sliding the siding portion across opening 135 results intwo functions being performed. First, the bait is cut by the slidingportion moving across the opening. Second, the container is sealed uponthe sliding portion moving across the opening resulting in the baitbeing cut and the container being sealed in a single movement.

In one embodiment, the sliding portion is captured within two layers ofthe lid 110 that capture the sliding portion 130 and allow it to moveback and forth across the opening 135 as indicated by an arrow 140. Aleading edge 145 of the sliding portion 130 may be curved slightly tofacilitate cutting of the bait. In some embodiments, the leading edgemay be thinned to provide a sharper cutting edge. Ridges 147 or otherstructural integrity enhancing structures may be included in the slidingportion 130. The sliding portion 130 may also have a raised portion 150located partway between the leading edge 145 and a trailing edge tofacilitate movement of the sliding portion 130 by a finger of a user andhence cutting of the bait by the leading edge 145, The raised portion150 may vary in height and may be shaped in a race track or simply be aridge or other structure suitable for applying sufficient force to movethe sliding portion 130 and cut the bait. The lid 110 and slidingportion 130 may be vacuum molded from plastic in various embodiments, orotherwise formed of plastic or another material, such as metal or evenwood.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a bait holder 200 with acontainer 205 and an alternative lid 210 for cutting bait according toan example embodiment. In one embodiment, bait container 205 is formedas a cylindrical container having a reinforced lip 215. Walls of thecylindrical container may be sloped inward from the lip 215 in someembodiments, enabling easy stacking of multiple containers 205 and aneasier grip for a user. The container 205 may be formed of Styrofoam orplastic in various embodiments.

Lid 210 in one embodiment has a lip 220 formed to mate with the lip 215of the container 205. The lid 210 may also be formed of Styrofoam orplastic as desired. Lid 210 has an insert 225 with a lateral rotatingportion 230 that rotates about an axial connection 233 to the lid 210such that the portion 230 slides across an opening 235 to cut bait thatis partially inserted into the opening 235. In one embodiment, therotating portion is triangularly shaped with two sides extending fromthe axial connection 233 toward the lid 210 circumference, and thirdside formed in an arc near the periphery of the lid. The lid 210 may becoupled to the container 205 during a sliding/rotating and cuttingoperation. The rotating portion 230 may be formed of plastic that isthin enough to cut the bait, but thick enough to provide adequatestructural integrity. The operation of sliding the siding portion acrossopening 235 via rotation results in two functions being performed.First, the bait is cut by the rotating portion 230 moving across theopening 235. Second, the container 205 is sealed upon the rotatingportion moving across the opening resulting in the bait being cut andthe container 205 being sealed in a single movement.

In one embodiment, the rotating portion 230 is captured by axialconnection 233, such as a rivet, allowing the rotating portion 230 torotate back and forth across the opening 235 as indicated by a curvedarrow 240. The lid 210 may have a lateral crevice 242 about an outerperiphery of the opening 235 to capture the rotating portion 230 to helpmaintain the rotating portion against the lid 210. A leading edge 245 ofthe rotating portion 230 may be curved slightly to facilitate cutting ofthe bait. The rotating portion 230 may also have a raised portion 250located partway between the leading edge 245 and a trailing edge tofacilitate movement of the sliding portion 230 by a finger of a user andhence cutting of the bait by the leading edge 245. The raised portion250 may vary in height and may be shaped in a race track or simply be aridge or other structure suitable for applying sufficient force to movethe rotating portion 230 and cut the bait. The lid 210 and rotatingportion 230 may be vacuum molded from plastic in various embodiments, orotherwise formed of plastic or another material, such as metal or evenwood.

In the case of a container that is generally square or rectangularshaped, the lid 201 is shaped to cover the container and the rotatingportion and opening may be positioned such that the lid does notinterfere with the rotating portion. For instance, the rotating portionand opening may be positioned via an axial connection that is locatednear an edge of the square lid such that the rotating portion andopening are spaced inward from the edge. The axial connection may alsobe located inward from an edge or corner of the lid such that theopening and rotating portion extend toward an edge or corner of the lid.Many configurations may be utilized in various embodiments to provide asuitable relative motion between the opening and rotating portion thatare not interfered with by the lid.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a bait container lid 300 having an opening 310for providing access to and cutting bait in a container according to anexample embodiment. The lid 300 has an inner portion 312 that mates withan insert shown later, An insert shown in figures below provides arotating portion to make with the container lid 300 for cutting thebait. In one embodiment, lid 300 includes a curved bait cutting guide315 on an end 320 of the opening 310 that serves to both guide a user inwhere to place the bait and secures the bait for the cutting operationas the insert is rotated. In one embodiment, the guide 315 is a halfcircle or semi-circle in shape and is placed near a center of the end320. A radius of the guide may be similar to an average radius of baitto be cut in one embodiment. Other shapes may also be utilized, such asa triangle or square shaped perimeter for the guide.

A projection 325 may also be formed on the lid 300 in a position to matewith a groove or structure of the insert to be placed on the lid androtated. The projection 325 may operate as a stop for controlling theamount of rotation of the insert in some embodiments, and may also inconjunction with the insert structure serve as a soft, deformablelocking mechanism to keep the insert in a position to maintain coveringof the opening 310.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bait container lid 300 of FIG. 3. Insome embodiments, the lid 300 has an annular ridge 330 that serves as asnap fit retention mechanism for capturing the insert and allowingrotation of the insert. The size of the ridge 330 or other structure maydepend on the deformability of the materials used for the lid andinsert, which may be similar to the materials described with respect tothe previous embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the bait container lid 300 of FIG. 3. Note thatthe inner portion 312 may be at least partially dome shaped, extendinginward towards a container or outward from the container on which thelid 300 may be placed to cover the container. The dome shape may providestructural integrity to the lid 300 in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, the lid 300 may be partially planar or completely planar.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a bait container lid insert 600 that rotateswithin the bait container lid 300 of FIG. 3 according to an exampleembodiment. As previously indicated, the insert 600 may snap fit withinthe ridge 330 of the lid 300, allowing it to rotate in a captured manneron the lid 300. In one embodiment, a curved groove 610 of limited lengthis formed on the insert 600 to mate with projection 325 to provide stopsto control the amount of rotation of the insert 600. Insert 600 containsan open section 615, which may have dimensions similar to opening 310,providing access to the bait container when lined up with opening 310,as permitted by the groove 610 length and position with respect toprojection 325, and to close access to the bait container when rotatedto cover the opening 310 as indicated by curved arrow 617.

In one embodiment, the opening 615 may have a leading cutting edge 620,which may optionally have an insert guide 625 shaped similarly to guide315 to mate therewith when rotating the insert to cut the bait. Theguide 625 is optional, or may even be used instead of guide 315 to guidethe user in placing the bait and holding the bait in position whencutting the bait. The guide 625 may also facilitate one handed operationof the insert, with one hand holding the bait in the guide and alsoproviding force to rotate the insert and cut the bait. To further aidthe user in rotating the insert 600, one or more protrusions 630 may beprovided to give a user a protruding surface to push against. Theprotrusion 630 in one embodiment is a straight ridge extending acrossthe insert 630 and may also provide enhanced structural integrity. Infurther embodiments, the protrusions may be shorter, shaped differently,or may even be eliminated, with the grove 610 providing an adequatesurface for a user to push against to rotate the insert 600.

In one embodiment, the grove 610 may have one or more flexible narrowpositions to provide resistance to rotation of the insert at desiredpositions by providing additional friction via the projection 325 beingslightly wider than a width of the groove 610 at such positions. Onesuch position may include a position of the insert 600 where the insertis completely covering the opening 310. Other positions may be includedas desired.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bait container lid insert 600 ofFIG. 6. The ridge 630 is more clearly illustrated in this view, as isthe dome shaped structure of the insert 600. The ridge 630 is morepronounced in a middle of the insert 600 as the insert slopes away froma plane defined by the circumference of the insert 600.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the bait container lid insert 600 of FIG. 6illustrating the dome shape that is formed to mate with the dome shapeof the lid 300 when the insert 600 is captured within the lid 300.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, othermodifications are possible. For example, the logic flows depicted in thefigures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order,to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps maybe eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may beadded to, or removed from, the described systems. Other embodiments maybe within the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A bait holder comprising: a bait containerhaving a lip; and a lid having a lip to mate with the bait containerlip, the lid further comprising: an opening positioned to provide accessto an inside of the bait container, a sliding portion connected on topof the lid, and having a first position away from the opening and asecond position covering the opening to seal the container, the slidingportion having a leading edge positioned to cut bait protruding from thecontainer through the opening when the sliding portion is moved from thefirst position to the second position such that the bait is cut by theleading edge of the sliding portion against an edge of the opening. 2.The bait holder of claim 1 wherein the sliding portion comprises aninsert with a lateral rotating portion that rotates about an axialconnection to the lid.
 3. The bait holder of claim 2 wherein the lateralrotating portion comprises a raised portion suitable for applying forceto rotate the lateral rotating portion.
 4. The bait holder of claim 1wherein the sliding portion is coupled to rotate about a center of thelid.